Sodium c10-13 alkyl benzenesulfonate is a chemical compound used in many applications from cosmetics to construction.

The name describes the structure of the molecule:

• Sodium indicates the presence of a sodium ion, which gives the compound water-soluble properties and makes it suitable as a surfactant in many products.
• C10-13 Alkyl refers to the alkyl chain of varying length between 10 and 13 carbon atoms. This alkyl chain can vary in length, which can influence the surfactant's properties.
• benzenesulfonate indicates the presence of a benzene sulfonate group, which gives the compound detergent and foaming properties.

Raw materials used in production:

Sodium C10-13 alkyl benzene sulfonate is a surfactant derived from the reaction of linear alkenes (C10-13) with benzene to form alkyl benzene, which is then sulfonated and subsequently neutralized with a sodium solution.

Step-by-step Summary of Industrial Production Process:

• Alkylation. Linear alkenes (C10-13) are reacted with benzene to produce alkyl benzene.
• Sulfonation. The produced alkyl benzene is then sulfonated using a sulfonating agent like sulfuric acid or sulfur trioxide.
• Neutralization. The resulting alkyl benzene sulfonic acid is neutralized with a sodium solution to form the sodium salt of alkyl benzene sulfonic acid.
• Purification. The product is purified to remove impurities through processes such as distillation or filtration..

Form and Color.

It appears as a light to dark yellow viscous liquid or as a white solid depending on the form it's sold in.

What it is for and where

Cosmetics

Cleansing agent. Ingredient that cleanses skin without exploiting the surface-active properties that produce a lowering of the surface tension of the stratum corneum. 

Surfactant - Cleansing agent. Cosmetic products used to cleanse the skin utilise the surface-active action that produces a lowering of the surface tension of the stratum corneum, facilitating the removal of dirt and impurities. 

This substance is used in the following products: washing & cleaning products, cosmetics and personal care products, biocides (e.g. disinfectants, pest control products), non-metal-surface treatment products, polishes and waxes, air care products, metal surface treatment products, lubricants and greases, adhesives and sealants, perfumes and fragrances, textile treatment products and dyes, pharmaceuticals and leather treatment products. Other release to the environment of this substance is likely to occur from: indoor use (e.g. machine wash liquids/detergents, automotive care products, paints and coating or adhesives, fragrances and air fresheners), indoor use in long-life materials with high release rate (e.g. release from fabrics, textiles during washing, removal of indoor paints), outdoor use in long-life materials with high release rate (e.g. tyres, treated wooden products, treated textile and fabric, brake pads in trucks or cars, sanding of buildings (bridges, facades) or vehicles (ships)), indoor use in long-life materials with low release rate (e.g. flooring, furniture, toys, construction materials, curtains, foot-wear, leather products, paper and cardboard products, electronic equipment), outdoor use as processing aid and outdoor use in long-life materials with low release rate (e.g. metal, wooden and plastic construction and building materials) (1).

Commercial applications

Detergent Industry. Sodium C10-13 Alkyl Benzene Sulfonate is an anionic surfactant primarily used in detergents. It has excellent cleaning properties and can effectively remove dirt and stains.

Cleaning Products. It can be found in laundry detergents, dishwashing liquids, and other general cleaning products.

Studies

Role of ion-pair interactions on asphaltene stabilization by alkylbenzenesulfonic acids (2).

Effect of the structures of ionic liquids and alkylbenzene-derived amphiphiles on the inhibition of asphaltene precipitation from CO₂-injected reservoir oils (3).

Molecular Formula : (CH)₉-₁₂C₇H₇NaO₃S 

Molecular Weight : 348.477 g/mol

CAS : 68411-30-3

Synonyms :

• Sodium c10-13 alkyl benzene sulfonate
• Sodium 4-(undecan-3-yl)benzene-1-sulfonate
• Alkylbenzenesulfonic acid, sodium salt
• C10-13-alkyl derivatives of benzene sulfonic acid, sodium salts
• Alkyl* sodium benzene sulfonate *(56%C11, 33%C12, 7%C10, 4%C13)
• Benzenesulfonic acid, C10-13-alkyl derivs., sodium salts
• Alkylbenzenesulfonic acid, sodium salt

References_____________________________________________________________________

(1) https://echa.europa.eu/substance-information/-/substanceinfo/100.063.721

(2) Goual L, Sedghi M. Role of ion-pair interactions on asphaltene stabilization by alkylbenzenesulfonic acids. J Colloid Interface Sci. 2015 Feb 15;440:23-31. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2014.10.043. 

(3) Hu YF, Guo TM. Effect of the structures of ionic liquids and alkylbenzene-derived amphiphiles on the inhibition of asphaltene precipitation from CO2-injected reservoir oils.  Langmuir. 2005 Aug 30;21(18):8168-74.

Abstract. The inhibition of asphaltene precipitation from high-pressure, CO(2)-injected reservoir oils by ionic and nonionic amphiphiles, the ionic liquids based on p-alkylpyridinium ([C(n)()py](+)) and N-butylisoquinolinium ([C(4)iql](+)) cations, and the alkylbenzene-derived amphiphiles p-alkylphenol (C(n)()phol), p-alkylbenzenesulfonic acid (C(n)()bsa), and sodium p-alkylbenzenesulfonate (C(n)()bsNa) was investigated for the first time. The influences of the structures of these compounds and the effect of the combination of their cations and anions were studied. The results show that the inhibition abilities of the alkylbenzene-derived amphiphiles first increase when n = 2-8 and then remain almost constant when n >/=8 and that the effectiveness follows the order C(n)()phol < C(n)()bsa approximately C(n)()bsNa. The inverse trend is observed for the ionic liquids [C(n)()py][Cl]; that is, their inhibition abilities decrease as n increases from 4 to 8 to 12. [C(4)iql][Cl] is more effective than [C(4)py][Cl], but [C(n)()py][BF(4)] and [C(n)()py][PF(6)] have almost no effect on the stabilization of asphaltenes. It was found that the effectiveness of an alkylbenzene-derived amphiphile on the inhibition of asphaltene precipitation from reservoir oils relies on its ability to form a stable steric-stabilization layer around asphaltenes, which is controlled by the polarity of its headgroup and the length of its alkyl tail. The novel mechanism of inhibiting asphaltene precipitation using the ionic liquids [C(n)()py] ([Cl], [BF(4)], and [PF(6)]) and [C(4)iql][Cl] was proposed. The mechanism states that the ionic liquids can effectively prevent asphaltene precipitation from the reservoir oils by breaking the asphaltene associations, which are due to the local nonneutrality of the charge densities of the cation and the anion. The ionic liquids that are based on an anion with high charge density, in connection with cations with sufficiently low charge densities, can effectively inhibit asphaltene precipitation from the reservoir oils. This mechanism is also important for studying the thermodynamic properties and phase behavior of the ionic liquids.